This southern breakfast classic, biscuits and gravy, is made completely from scratch. Creamy sausage gravy smothers sky-high buttermilk biscuits for a stick-to-your-ribs recipe you’ll want to eat every morning! With pantry staple ingredients and easy to follow steps you can have this on your breakfast plate in no time!

A top down picture of biscuits and gravy on a white plate with a gold spoon in the back.

Although it’s one of my all-time favorite places for breakfast food, I typically don’t get the opportunity to eat at Cracker Barrel more than a couple of times a year. No matter when I go, after eating there, I crave biscuits like mad.

After one visit in particular I had biscuits on the brain. Not just biscuits, though… I couldn't get sausage gravy out of my head. So, I made it happen!

I used my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe and an amped-up version of the sawmill gravy I made to go along with chicken-fried steak. The sausage gravy I made for these biscuits has a lot more sausage, is spiced up with some pepper and seasoned salt, and makes a much larger amount. Perfect for extra breakfast guests!

The result? One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever made.

What is Biscuits and Gravy?

If you have never had the pleasure of trying this southern comfort food it’s high time I make you acquainted. Tender, flaky biscuits are smothered in a sausage-studded cream gravy for the ultimate comfort food recipe. It is truly the stuff of dreams!

Is Biscuits and Gravy a Southern thing?

This hearty dish originated in the south in the 1800s but has gained wide-spread popularity over time. It’s a staple at most breakfast and brunch restaurants and for good reason. For starters, who doesn’t love a good buttery biscuit? And… Sausage gravy. Need I say more??

A plate of biscuits and gravy with a gold spoon on the right a biscuit to the left of the plate and another plate with biscuits and gravy in the top left.

How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

Let’s break down how to make this stick to your ribs breakfast recipe into two main parts, the biscuits, and the sausage gravy.

Ingredients for Biscuits

While these sky-high biscuits are quick and easy to make, there is a fine line between the golden, flaky beauty you are looking for and a hockey puck. To get the former, start with these ingredients.

  • Flour- All-purpose flour is what we use.
  • Baking Powder – A biscuit staple, this helps give that gorgeous rise to beautiful biscuits.
  • Salt + Sugar – I think we can all agree these two ingredients add some much-needed flavor to biscuits.
  • Butter – Chilled, unsalted butter is the key to getting those flaky layers.
  • Buttermilk – Used as a binding agent, and it gives amazing texture for the most tender biscuits.

How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat – do not grease your baking sheet.
  • Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal with slightly larger butter lumps.
  • Stir in the buttermilk using a rubber spatula or fork, until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a rough square. Be careful not to over mix.
  • Pat dough into 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough letter-style into thirds, then lightly pat the dough back out into another 1-inch rectangle. Try to handle the dough as quickly and lightly as possible. Repeat the folding 2 more times; after the final fold, press or lightly roll the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle.
  • Cut the biscuits using a 2½-inch round cutter, pushing straight down (do not twist!). Pat and roll scraps for more biscuits.
  • Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, brush with butter, and bake until the tops are light brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Three step photos of how to make biscuits with the flour mixture on the left, dough in a bowl in the middle, and biscuits on a baking sheet on the right.

Ingredients for creamy sausage gravy

Now for the crave-inducing sausage gravy! You’ll need just 5 ingredients to make this comfort dish.

  • Breakfast Sausage – Can’t make sausage gravy without sausage. Breakfast sausage is the perfect balance of spiced and sweet that won’t overpower your gravy.
  • Flour – Mixed with the fat released by the sausage the flour makes the roux that gives you the creamiest gravy.
  • Milk – I use whole milk in this recipe to keep it extra rich and creamy.
  • Seasoned Salt + Pepper – Flavor, flavor, flavor!

How to Make the Sausage Gravy

  • Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Crumble the sausage as it cooks into bite-sized pieces.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle half of the flour over the sausage, stirring to dissolve it. Add the rest of the flour and stir for about 1 minute, until all of the flour dissolved.
  • Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Season the gravy with black pepper and seasoned salt and continue to cook until it is very thick.
  • Take the fluffy biscuits, split them in two, then spoon the heavenly sausage gravy on top to serve.

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Side by side photos of breakfast sausage in a pan with a wooden spoon on the left and the flour topping the sausage in a skillet with a spoon on the right.

Best Biscuit for the Job

Usually, I serve up this mouth-watering sausage gravy with my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe but you truly can’t go wrong topping this gravy on any of these other flaky biscuit recipes:

Storing, freezing, and reheating instructions

While there is nothing quite like the fresh thing you can easily make the biscuits in advance and store any leftover gravy to be reheated for another time.

  • Storing Baked Biscuits: Cool biscuits entirely before storing them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
  • Reheating Biscuits: For that fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture, I recommend reheating in a 350°F oven (a toaster oven is perfect for this, too!) for about 5 minutes. Perfection.
  • Freezing Biscuit Dough: Prepare the dough and cut out the biscuits, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the biscuits in a freezer-safe bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Storing Leftover Gravy: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
  • Freeze Sausage Gravy: If you’re not going to eat all of the gravy, allow it to cool before storing it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Move to the refrigerator and allow to thaw overnight before using.
  • Reheat Leftover Gravy: On the stove, heat the gravy over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of milk as needed to loosen up the gravy.

Serve this with your Biscuits and Gravy

Turn your biscuits and gravy into a full-on weekend brunch by adding one or all of these tasty recipes to the table:

A close up shot of sausage gravy on top of an open biscuit on a white plate.

Keep your belly full all morning long with this buttermilk biscuits and gravy recipe. From the creamy sausage gravy to the flaky buttermilk biscuits, every bite will have you coming back for more. If my hips wouldn’t put up a fight, I’d eat this for breakfast every day!

Watch the Recipe Video Below:

If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️

A biscuit topped with sausage gravy on a white plate with a gold spoon on the right.

Biscuits and Gravy

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Fluffy buttermilk biscuits are smothered in creamy sausage gravy for the ultimate comfort food recipe!
4.81 (21 ratings)
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Ingredients

For the Biscuits:

  • 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, cold
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

For the Sausage Gravy:

  • 1 pound (454 g) breakfast sausage
  • ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups (960 ml) whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) seasoned salt

Instructions 

  • Make the Biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  • Using a pastry blender (or two knives or your fingertips), quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.
  • Using a rubber spatula or fork, stir in the buttermilk until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a rough square. Be careful not to overmix. Pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough letter-style into thirds, then lightly pat the dough back out into another 1-inch rectangle. Try to handle the dough as quickly and lightly as possible. Repeat the folding 2 more times; after the final fold, press or lightly roll the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle.
  • Using a 2½-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out the dough rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Pat and roll the remaining scraps to cut out more rounds. Brush with the melted butter and bake until the biscuit tops are light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Make the Sausage Gravy: Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, crumbling it into bite-size pieces as it cooks.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle half of the flour over the sausage, stirring to dissolve it. Add the rest of the flour and again stir for about 1 minute, until all of the flour has been dissolved.
  • Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly as it is added. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it begins to thicken (10 to 15 minutes). Season the gravy with the black pepper and seasoned salt and continue to cook until it is very thick. Spoon the gravy over the buttermilk biscuits to serve. Leftover gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If it is too thick when reheated, simply add a splash or two of milk to thin it out a bit.

Notes

 
  • Storing Baked Biscuits: Cool biscuits entirely before storing in an airtight container up to 2 days.
  • Reheating Biscuits: For that  fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture, I recommend reheating in a 350°F oven (a toaster oven is perfect for this, too!) for about 5 minutes. Perfection.
  • Freezing Biscuit Dough: Prepare the dough and cut out the biscuits, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the biscuits in a freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
  • Freeze Sausage Gravy: If you’re not going to eat all of the gravy allow to cool before storing in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months. Move to refrigerator and allow to thaw overnight before using.
  • Reheat Leftover Gravy: On the stove, heat the gravy over medium heat, cook gravy, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of milk as needed to loosen up the gravy.
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Calories: 391kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 591mg, Potassium: 466mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 548IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 214mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Photography by Lauren Grant.